Program Intern at Mercy Corps

Requisition Number: PROGR002022
Location: Yola, Adamawa
Employment Type: Internship
Duration: 12 Months
Job Category: Programming
Travel required: Yes
Reports directly to: Intervention Lead
Works directly with: Program teams, Finance Department, MEL, Program Quality Team (PaQ).

Program Summary

• Mercy Corps Nigeria was established in 2012 to respond primarily to growing humanitarian needs in the Northeast. With a strong and growing team of over 200 staff, Mercy Corps is currently serving over 600,000 beneficiaries across the country with programming in Lagos in the South; Kaduna, Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau in the Middle Belt; Kano, Yobe and Borno in the North. Programs include girls’ education and financial inclusion, community peacebuilding, market-based livelihoods and a multi-sector humanitarian response that has a strong emphasis on WASH, Shelter, Cash and Protection. With the vision of a Nigeria in which all people are empowered, engaged, resilient and secure, Mercy Corps Nigeria focuses on the root causes of conflict, governance, humanitarian response, and market systems development.
• Working with a diverse funding base that includes the United States Agency for International Development
• (USAID), UK Department for International Development (DFID), United Nations (UN), European Commission (EC), and several foundations, Mercy Corps empowers people to recover from crisis, build better lives and transform their communities for good. In 2019, Mercy Corps was awarded a five-year, $30 million USAID funded Rural Resilience Activity in Nigeria’s northeastern states.
• The purpose of the Rural Resilience Activity is to sustainably move people out of chronic vulnerability and poverty.
• The Rural Resilience Activity will enable individuals and communities to engage in strong and sustainable market systems rather than continuing to rely on humanitarian assistance and faltering with each new shock.
• The Rural Resilience Activity is a five-year, $45 million USAID-funded Program in Nigeria’s northeast. The purpose of the Rural Resilience Activity is to sustainably move people out of chronic vulnerability and poverty. The Rural Resilience activity will enable individuals and communities to engage in strong and sustainable market systems rather than continuing to rely on humanitarian assistance and faltering with each new shock. To achieve this purpose, the Activity will have four components and four cross-cutting elements:
  • Component 1: Provide up-to-date evidence for the selection of market systems, livelihoods and employment opportunities that contribute to inclusive and resilient growth and improved nutrition.
  • Component 2: Stimulate market systems growth and diverse economic opportunities (Pull activities).
  • Component 3: Build capacity to take advantage of market systems opportunities (Push activities).
  • Component 4: Sequencing, layering, integrating (SLI), and collaborative learning to improve activity effectiveness, sustainability, and scale.
  • Component 5: Supporting Market Resilience to COVID-19 Shocks.

General Position Summary

• This position is based in Adamawa with major responsibility in supporting the teams in record retention, initiating procurement requests, focal point for documentation, securing approvals, documentation retention for the Rural Resilience Activity in Yola, assisting the Intervention Leads in day-to-day tasks.
• He/she will be responsible for submitting timely reports and other documents on daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

Essential Job Functions

• The focal point for Rural Resilience Activity documentation retention in compliance to PM@MC minimum standard and manage the documentation of the sector for audit and donor compliance.
• Liaise with finance, OPS and Rural Resilience Activity offices to provide necessary program-related documentation when required.
• Assisting the technical/Intervention Leads on all administrative affairs in liaison with other relevant team members.
• He/she will be the focal point for all the field demands to seek approvals, follow up with program support and program management/team lead on the approvals of PRs and POs and preparation of payment documents and following up on approval, reviews, procurement, and payment processes as per approval authority matrix, and final submission to finance team for pay-out.
• Assisting the technical/Intervention Leads and coordination to ensure effective engagement with government, partners and program implementation in Adamawa state field locations.
• Maintaining all documentation relating to Rural Resilience Activity required ensuring accountability to the participants and donors.
• Oversee administrative matters this include drafting of service contract for service providers, daily hire staff, tracking service contract expirations, renewals and closing the contracts
• Assisting in organizing internal and external meetings for the Rural Resilience Activity.
• Folder management to keep program staff updated on all documents and make it possible for them to easily access required documents in google drive and/or team drive
• Photo Management for Rural Resilience Activity, documenting lessons learnt and success stories.
• Any other duty when assigned.

Program Support:

• Assist the program team to ensure Rural Resilience Activity progress according to the developed schedule and the implementation work plan
• Support the development and submission of weekly and monthly activity plans in time for review and prior to implementation
• Assist the project team and Consortium partners to plan, organize and conduct quality community training sessions, and document the process, content delivered and identify indicators that you will monitor.
• In collaboration with the Monitoring Evaluation and Learning team, support the implementation of relevant surveys, need assessments, data and information collection for ongoing monitoring and report on the project progress
• Support in the process of beneficiary registration, community mobilization and sensitization.
• Assist in promoting community participation and inclusion so as to encourage community ownership over activities implemented.
• Ensure equal representation of various community groups in the implementation of activities.
• Assist in the facilitation of community meetings, focus group discussion and others as required by the program
• Keep intervention leads updated with regards to the security situation in the project implementation area
• Provide weekly field reports, capturing activities progress, lessons learned as well as the general situation and community updates and needs.
• Ensure adherence to all MC policies and procedures as outlined in MC policies and procedure manuals
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission in the country of operation.
• Support with the preparation of payment requests for completed activities
• Other duties as assigned.

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects

Supervisory Responsibility:

• None

Knowledge and Experience

• BA / B.Sc / HND in relevant field or other similar field or equivalent preferred in Development, Management, Economics, or another relevant field
• Willingness to learn in a fast-paced work environment amongst a dynamic team.
• Ability to work independently in the field and show initiative. Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work cooperatively with team members.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to develop good relationships with a wide range of actors required.
• Good organizational skills, ability to make recommendations for improvement and contribute to overall program strategy
• Ability to write clear and concise reports in English, knowledge of Hausa is a plus
• Willingness to travel throughout the different project areas.
• Experience in conducting training and workshops is desirable.

Success Factors

• The successful Program Assistant will skillfully assist the implementation of Rural Resilience Activities within time, scope and budget.
• The successful candidate will be an effective communicator, with dedication towards community work, commitment to work long hours in the field conditions with limited access to resources.
• S/He will be highly motivated, with initiative and capable to work without direct supervision.
• S/he will be willing to conduct field travels and work in an ethnically and culturally diversified and fast-growing team.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

• The position will be based in Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria and requires frequent travel to other field locations as well as Abuja. Considering the frequent travel from/to different field locations, this position will require flexibility in terms of accommodation and logistics.
• Housing in the field will be in hotels or guesthouses where available.
• Security in the field locations requires additional vigilance and accessibility will be reassessed continuously.
• Access to good medical services in the field is limited. Phone communication, internet, electricity and water is available but might be erratic.
• The location is not eligible for hardship and R&R benefits.
• Given the nature of the response, working hours require flexibility and working through weekends/evenings might be necessary.